Not just a bit of mum dancing
Where it all began
8 years ago this week I launched my first Babywearing Dance class, in a little church hall at the end of my road before my local Sling Library. Invite only to Mum’s I knew, I had no expectation of what it would be like or where it would go. I just knew that dancing with my 6 month old Daughter Ellie filled me with joy, helped us bond and for just that hour made me feel like Nikki again (not “Just” Ellie’s Mum).
But was it going to work as a business?
Okay so ill be honest here. The main reason I started this was that for several years I had been teaching Zumba around my hideous job as a hospitality recruiter (I can hear all you recruiters audibly groan from here). I was not going back to that fucking job. No way! All I knew was that I loved teaching Zumba and dancing on stage (that’s for another blog people!) and it brought me so much joy, I needed it back in my life. Breastfeeding every 2 hours of the day and night I was deluded while pregnant to think after a few months I’d be back teaching my 4 Zumba classes a week.
However what I didn’t expect was the genuine impact it was having on the Mum’s (and few Dads that have braved our classes!). The impact on isolation, confidence and most of all their mental health. I remember a few instances clearly where the genuine emotion of it all was overwhelming for some Mum’s. Helen joined our Chorlton class after a few of her friends recommended it. I remember as we finished the cool down she just burst into tears. My first reaction (Shit what did I say/do!) but she started to tell all of us about how she hadn’t realized how much she needed this. That since becoming a Mum she had always put herself last and couldn’t remember the last time she felt this happy. I’m sure you can imagine our response? Yeah a group hug of 20 women all hormonal crying on each other..but it felt good. Good knowing this time meant so much to her and to us all.
Community
In 2018 we took a brave step to become Dance Like a Mother and a Community Interest Company. I wont lie, it was really hard. Weve had lots of backlash (yup I’ve actually been threatened with court and had a women call me to tell me I’m out of order). Quite clearly these women think there isn’t enough Mums to go around. But the thing that kept me going was the amazing team of Mums that now worked with me. They and all the women that attended our classes helped me to understand that Empowered Women, Empower Women. So quite frankly if someone feels threatened by all the bloody amazing things we are doing, then thats their issue. The DLAM Fam was born. With every new Mum that came, they were welcomed with open arms and each of our Instructors had been them once and felt those nerves coming into class for the first time. Once you were in the DLAM Fam…you were never allowed to leave!
Where we are now
So things have changed (understatement) over the last week and like everyone we have found ourselves thrown into a different way of living and working. But we have kept going. Knowing how much these classes help women (and us!) has resulted in some serious creativity and hard work. As I cry into my laptop I feel so incredibly grateful for every women who beat her anxiety to come through those doors and join our family, for the people who have come back after baby number 2 (or 3 Nathalie), for the women we have literally shaken their ass off in Dance Fit, for my amazing Husband Stu for his unwavering support, and mostly to the incredible tribe of women I call our team and my friends. Thank you for a challenging, fun and amazing 4 years and for being here now in these unusual times.
DLAM Fam…All of you Thank You
Nikki xxx